Canister X – A.P. FuchsWriter, Artist, Creator
Fighting and Other Animation Shorts and Artwork (VHS 2000)
Fighting and Other Animation Shorts and Artwork (VHS 2000)
This short chunk of animation and art made up the first part of my animation demo reel. “Once Upon a Weiner” with Fred (Fredrikus) the dog was presented after. I wanted to share these brief cartoons and art pieces with you as a way to bring the past into the present.
Enjoy.
Don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all the latest videos.
Thank you for watching Axiom-man TV.
Fred the Dog in Once Upon a Weiner (Storyboard Video 2000 VHS)
Fred the Dog in Once Upon a Weiner (Storyboard Video 2000 VHS)
Prior to animating, and after the script, the story needs to be blocked out via storyboards before the drawing phase of cartooning. I did my best to time the storyboards with the cartoon so you could see how the layout worked on the final product. You can also see how some of the colors changed for the backgrounds and what was included in the storyboards and what was not.
The captions beneath the storyboards might go by too quick to read but, again, I was trying to time the storyboards with the cartoon itself so feel free to pause where need to read the storyboards.
Anyway, this is some behind-the-scenes stuff for you and a bit about what goes into making a cartoon.
Enjoy.
Don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all the latest videos.
Thank you for watching Axiom-man TV.
Fredrikus thanks you, too. Read his webcomic from the beginning here.
What You Can Expect from Patreon 2.0
What You Can Expect from Patreon 2.0
So the plan for the new page is simple:
$1 – Tip Jar. That’s all it is. Your reward is my gratitude.
$5 – Full monthly access to all public content that I put on the Web PLUS PATRON EXCLUSIVE content not found anywhere else except via Patreon. Thus far, they are:
Any other features you’d like to see? Drop me a note here and let me know.
Axiom-man in Black
Axiom-man in black. Hmmm. I’ve been toying with the idea of introducing a kind of stealth costume into THE AXIOM-MAN SAGA. A uniform he could wearing when he has to really conceal himself at night. Not quite sure as yet where this would fit in the storyline but I think it’s a cool piece anyway so what to share it here. Besides, my Artwork page needed a new piece.
Axiom-man in Black
What’s cool is I also used this image for items in my Merch Shop. Go check it out to see what it was used on.
Status Report – 050720:
Two nights ago I had a migraine episode, my first one in 9 months. In short, it knocked me down and kept me there until it was done. Yesterday, I took the day off to deal with what was basically a migraine hangover. We are back in the chair today and just worked on Part Two of my two-part article series on what to do if you feel your career in the arts is sinking. This article will air shortly on Patreon.
That draft of the article was today’s main task.
In terms of how I feel, much better today. Let’s see what’s next.
Oh, here is some artwork to look at.
This has been your Status Report for 050720.
Just a note to inform you there is a newsletter delay this week due to TinyLetter’s site glitching. Until it’s resolved, I am unable to send out the most recent issue so I’ve blogged it here in the interim and will send it out proper once I am able to, which might mean this week you’ll be getting two editions of The Canister X Transmission close together. If the problem persists due to possible staffing shortages on their end, then we’ll just air the newsletter here until things get back to normal.
There’s a first time for everything.
Here is the latest edition. It is dated yesterday.
Newsletter:
Issue Two Hundred-fifty-two – April 18, 2020
Hello and welcome to the 252nd issue of THE CANISTER X TRANSMISSION, a weekly newsletter from a schlub up north who offers you strange ramblings every week.
How is everyone?
It has been a busy week. Lots of tasks. Lots of work. Lots of prep. Lots of thinking. Lots of stress. Lots of accomplishment. Lots of, well, lots.
And here we are.
Oh, and I made bread.
Work log:
PROJECT JACKASS (title reveal below); uploaded a sneak peek to the Behind-the-Scenes tier on Patreon showcasing one of the opening pages of PROJECT JACKASS in full color (link below); shot and uploaded a new video to YouTube, which announces PROJECT JACKASS’s real title and quickly takes a glimpse at the artwork and offers a brief premise (link below); blogging; and administration.
Quick note regarding this newsletter: Issue 260 is the final issue of The Long Year Five. We will do something special at that time. As always, the invite is there if you want to see something particular in that double issue. Just shoot me an email and I’ll see what I can do.
In blog headline news—and once information known only to my patrons on Patreon—the title of PROJECT JACKASS was revealed! PROJECT JACKASS was a place-holder name for an upcoming webcomic from me called FREDRIKUS, which is about an anthropomorphic dog in a dystopic sc-fi world. Phew. Now I can finally refer to it as an actual thing and not some project document (which is actually a combination of multiple documents including a notebook for the stories).
Blog headlines:
Various Bits from the Net – 041220
Status Report – 041420
Project Jackass Title Revealed: Fredrikus
Fredrikus Social Media
New Fredrikus Behind-the-Scenes Post on Patreon!
On Art and Never Arriving
Fredrikus Webcomic Announcement
Status Report – 041720
As you can see from the above headline, you are invited to like and follow FREDRIKUS on social media so you can be notified when the strip airs. Please do so. More details about the webcomic to be revealed in due time. Watch the blog to stay current. I will admit, it’s high time new things started to roll out from me and warming up the machine for FREDRIKUS is part of that journey.
I’m thinking that the next thing to roll out from me is the Inktober 2019 sketchbook I mentioned in a previous issue. PROJECT REBUILD is taking some time due to elements beyond my control and I don’t want to leave you hanging.
Side note: As much as my blog has been retooled on the back end, sometimes the theme acts up and reverts to black text on white rather than white text on black. If you come across this, don’t worry. I’m still troubleshooting the issue with the hope of taking care of it once and for all in the near future. Just check the blog as per usual and you’ll be fine.
We’re also gearing up for the new serial novel to air on Patreon because GIGANTIGATOR DEATH MACHINE is almost complete. Watch the blog for the announcement and be sure to get in on the ground floor by becoming a patron today for just a buck. The entirety of GIGANTIGATOR DEATH MACHINE will remain on the site so come time for the new serial novel, you’ll have two novels to read for the price of one. Awesome deal. Please take advantage (it also helps keep me fed). Link below to subscribe to what is essentially the Netflix of literary entertainment from a book and comic guy like me. Thank you in advance for your support.
Also going on, but not worked on this week, is PROJECT COBALT. This is a big one and an important one, and a lot of thought, trial and error, and work has already been put into it. I’m suspecting a latter 2020 rollout, but keep that fluid for the moment. The world is in upheaval on multiple levels and things are in constant flux as we combat this invisible enemy (amongst other things). But yeah, PROJECT COBALT, man. Onward.
For a good while I’ve had the marketing materials for a YouTube subscription drive, but we’re not quite there yet in terms of the channel’s relationship to other things. However, I’m a firm believer in groundwork and foundation and I’d like you to be a part of all that’s planned for the channel plus what’s already there. Please use the link below and subscribe. Your subscription will eventually lead to me monetizing the channel, which in turn will fund more comics and books and the stuff I put online for free. But it all takes time and time, in order to do this job full time, requires money. The subscription costs you nothing other than 5 seconds—which I recognize is your valuable time hence why I try and create interesting content in the vein of Heroes and Monsters—and will go a long way toward keeping the media machine running. Thank you in advance again for your support.
With Year Six of this newsletter fast approaching, I’m getting eager to see how the new format will work, how it will flow, and, ultimately, what it will do for you as my reader. I hope you enjoy the new format in 8 issues.
In other newsletter news, Year Four was obviously completed a long time ago but was never published. It is still the plan to release it along with The Long Year Five. Also soon, my how-to book, GETTING DOWN AND DIGITAL: HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH YOUR BOOK, will be going out of print. Please grab your copy now. The principles and methods apply to both books and comics. It is also ideal for creators on a budget who are unable to afford fancy formatting programs. It walks you through formatting in MSWord for both print and electronic editions in a tried-and-tested procedure that is quite simple to follow.
We’re also noodling with the social media broadcaster for FREDRIKUS because I’ve never run a broadcaster for anyone but myself and since good ol’ Fred can’t work the thing himself due to his paws, I’m stuck with the job. Hopefully it all works out. Speaking of which, the broadcaster has run out of broadcasts from that time I loaded ’er up good so that will have to be addressed in the coming week or two as well, but I’m toying with some new ideas. Not that the old ones were bad, but as it is with this game, doesn’t hurt to try new things.
Okay, I think the above about covers it for this week. Lots of commercials, I know, but we’re at that stage in the grand plan.
Rollout soon.
We’re finally getting there. Isn’t that a thing?
Take care of yourselves and each other. In the end, it’s on us about how we treat people.
Have a good weekend. Make bread. Send me some.
– A.P. Fuchs
All the New Things, MB
As usual:
Patreon – Where I post an ongoing serial novel, essays on the creative life, behind-the-scenes secrets, and general jackassery.
Canister X – Where I’m blogging during the week.
YouTube – My channel that needs your subscription and views to help it grow.
Ko-fi – A Tip Jar designed to cover the costs of the free stuff I put on the Web (daily blogging, this newsletter, YouTube videos, and artwork).
End transmission
My Patreon Index: What You Can Expect as my Patron
My Patreon Index: What You Can Expect as my Patron
Patreon has been a lot of fun since the get-go. There was a learning curve–just like for all things–but we’ve settled into a groove. And while true there will be new tiers as the year goes on, the current tier structure of Serialized Novels, Essays, Behind the Scenes, and the Gold Standard is working out just fine.
And I want you to be a part of the journey.
Here are some index-like stats and summaries to let you know what’s presently on the page:
Serialized Novels ($1 a month)
Presently airing is Gigantigator Death Machine. The majority of the book is uploaded with a new chapter posting every two weeks. Lots already there for this story about a group of young adults wanting a simple beer-fest getaway with friends that quickly turns into a race for their lives against a giant, bloodthirsty alligator. This is pure creature feature B-horror with all the fun and guts B-horror is known for.
Essays ($2 a month)
This tier gives you access to the serial novel as well as essays focusing on the creative arts industry.
The following essays are available for immediate reading:
The Secret to Social Media Success Part 1
The Secret to Social Media Success Part 2
The Secret to Social Media Success Part 3
How to Write Well Every Time: Proper Writing
The Road Back: How to Create Again After a Hiatus
Spontaneous Book or Comic Marketing
How to Maintain a Blogging Schedule
Behind the Scenes ($5 a month)
This tier gives you access to the serial novel, the essays, and behind-the-scenes looks unavailable anywhere else. Plus, you also get a cool A.P. Fuchs/Canister X Official Membership Card with your name on it.
Presently shared:
Behind the Scenes – Studio Space 091319
Behind the Scenes – Secret Project No. 3 092719
Behind the Scenes – Web Interface 100419
Behind the Scenes – Axiom-man/Auroraman Artwork 110119
Behind the Scenes – New Studio Space 122419
Behind the Scenes – Secret Project No. 3 Pages 012120
Gold Standard ($30 a month)
This tier gives you all the benefits of the previous tiers plus every month I will mail out to you a signed and, if you choose, personalized hardcopy book or comic from my bibliography to add to your collection. Comics come bagged and boarded.
The books and comics that I’m drawing from are available for viewing in my Book and Comic Shop. Take a look to get an idea as to what to expect in your mailbox.
Lastly, as regular content for all the tiers, not only do you receive whatever items from the tier you choose, I also post patron-only blog posts and reveals, video content, and messages for special occassions.
Thank you. Hope you enjoyed this little index of what’s presently available on my Patreon page and, of course, more content will be added as February rolls along. Hope you join me and my other patrons for more intrigue, information, entertainment, and fun as we head further into 2020.
Please join myself and my other patrons on Patreon by going here.
For further reading, here is a blog post from about a month after being on the Patreon platform and my thoughts thereof.
See you on Patreon!
Superhero author and creator J.L. MacDonald recently commissioned me to draw her superheroine, Nightcat.
Here she is in glorious black and white!
The image was created with pencil and ink with Copic marker gray toning. She was a blast to draw.
For more Nightcat by J.L. MacDonald, visit Nightcat directly on the Web by going here.
To read Nightcat short stories with other fantastic superheroes, read Metahumans vs The Undead and Metahumans vs Werewolves.
If you’d like to commission me to draw your hero (or anything else), please see my artwork page for rates and samples. If your type of project isn’t listed in the standard drawing/fee schedule, inquire anyway and I’m sure we can work something out.
Thanks.
Where Projects Stand a Couple of Weeks into 2020.
Time is flying by. It felt like it was New Year’s last week.
It was two weeks ago.
Pretty sure I’m stuck in an accelerated timestream.
Anyway, I set out into 2020 with specific goals now that all my prelim work is pretty much done. (All discussed in my newsletter.)
And so . . . here is where some projects stand a couple of weeks into 2020:
Project Rebuild: First batch of second editions are my Undead World Trilogy. The new cover style–which looks incredible–is almost done. Layout to begin soon. Here is the original announcement.
Patreon: New tiers and options to be added once some second editions come out. Gigantigator Death Machine is the current feature playing as a serial novel with a new installment every two weeks. This will run until May, if I counted out the installments correctly. A new serial novel will start up after this first one is done. Please go here to start reading the previous chapters so you’re ready for the next episode.
Artwork: Putting the final touches on a commission. Have permission to share it on-line once the client receives it in the mail.
Freelance: In the middle of a project for someone and still have my client that requires two days a week. (Which slows down my published work output but, hey, need to keep the lights on somehow.)
New published work: This involves all the various projects I mentioned in previous blog posts and in the newsletter. As of this writing, the plan is to do a few second editions first then release something new then more second editions then new work, and so on. This plan keeps me at a pace I can manage, which in turn benefits you by giving you a pattern for 2020 and something to look forward to.
YouTube: The channel is growing and content is going up at, on average, a video a week. Your subscription to the channel helps keep the writing and art machine running so please subscribe if you haven’t already.
Daily blogging: Still on the Monday-to-Friday schedule. I’m doing my best to give you something each day that entertains or informs at least one person. Check back daily for new entries. If you check back and the blog hasn’t been updated, check back again later. Lately, my blogging hour has been shifting for various reasons.
Vacation: Though I took a break over the Holidays, it wasn’t really a break. In the end, I had a few days for a breather because it took me until Boxing Day to finally slow down and just relax. Throw in some Holiday activities during that relax time and I didn’t end up having a genuine break. I was back at it on the 30th. So, things are in motion for a legit winter holiday, but by the time all is arranged, that won’t be until February sometime. Watch this space.
Conventions and public appearances: One convention has been announced. I have irons in the fire in others and am waiting to hear back.
Posted through my social channels this morning:
“Hoping to find new inroads in the publishing world (books and comics) in 2020. I’m convinced the current standard system is terrible. That said, it’s up to creators to create the market, not companies. We need to get that straight first otherwise it’ll be same old, same old.”
I stand by the idea that creators create the market. Read my essay, “Why I Quit the Publishing Industry and Opted to Just Make Books Instead,” to find out my thoughts on the current climate and my general attitude toward it. If you’re a creator reading this, please check out the essay. We’re not at the mercy of various companies to get our work out. They’re at your mercy to provide them work to distribute. They don’t have a business without you. Take that to heart. Stand strong. Make new roads. Find out new ways to share with your readers. You and your readers are the ones in control, not these companies.
Okay. That’s all I’ve got for now. Thank you for checking in.
See you tomorrow.
Was out driving this past weekend and shot a video giving you an update on what’s happening in 2020 and how a plan was formulated. It’s called vLog – Method to the Madness.
The plan for 2020 affects nearly all of my writing and artwork.
Watch the video below to see what’s going on and please take a quick second and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ensure you get every new video as they are released.
Come, take a drive with me.
Thanks. Enjoy!
